There will be heavy traffic in the area. Motorists are advised to allow extra travel time.

Nihonmachi Street Fair

Saturday and Sunday: The annual Nihonmachi Street Fair will take place in and around Japantown from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., each day. Please visit www.nhonmachistreetfair.org for more details.

The following street closures will be required from 5 a.m., Saturday to 9:00 p.m., Sunday:

Post Street from Laguna Street to Fillmore Street

Webster Street from Geary Boulevard to Sutter Street

Intersection of Webster Street and Post Street

There will be no anticipated impact on Muni service.

Launch of E Embarcadero Line

Saturday: Beginning this weekend, the SFMTA will launch a new historic streetcar line along The Embarcadero with key destinations at 4th and King Caltrain Station, AT&T Park, Ferry Plaza, Exploratorium, Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.

The new E Line will operate on Saturdays and Sundays beginning August 1:

Tuesday, July 28 through This Sunday: The San Francisco Gaelic Athletic Association event takes place at San Francisco Gaelic Fields on Treasure Island.

A street closure of Avenue “H” between California and 13th streets is in effect until 10 p.m., this Sunday.

The 25 Treasure Island Muni route is affected.

REMINDER: Muni Subway System Closed Evenings for Upgrades

Friday: All Muni Metro subway stations (with an exception of Embarcadero BART/Muni Station) will be closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., each night beginning this Friday. It is anticipated that this subway shutdown will take effect until the end of January 2016.

During these shutdowns, shuttle service will be provided between Market/Steuart Street and St. Francis Circle nightly from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Shuttles will service island stops along Market Street except stops between 7th and 8th streets where transit-lane paint work will take place and curb stops will be used at this location.

The shutdowns allow the SFMTA to implement system upgrades and address maintenance of infrastructure in the subway to improve Muni’s communications and keep trains running safely and reliably throughout the city. The two upgrades will be conducted beginning this Friday through the end of January 2016.

The Radio Replacement project will modernize Muni’s currently outdated radio system and improve communications between Muni Operations Control and vehicles out in the field

The Blue Light Emergency Telephone Replacement will upgrade and expand a vital emergency system throughout the underground tunnels

Friday through Sunday: Evening construction work will take place on Market Street between 7th and 8th streets from Friday to Sunday, between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., each night.

Work is part of the implementation of the Safer Market Street project, which supports they city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities by improving safety conditions and reducing conflicts for all road users. The project includes turn restrictions, the extension of east and westbound transit only lanes to 3rd Street, and additional loading and painted safety zones.

During construction hours along Market Street between 7th and 8th streets (both eastbound and westbound directions):

Saturday and Sunday: There will be NO BART service between West Oakland BART and the Embarcadero BART/Muni stations. The purpose of this temporary service closure will be for a repair of a critical section of track near the Transbay Tube.

During the shutdown, BART will provide free bus service between 19th Street in Oakland and the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. This change of service may cause a delay of one to two hours per trip. Customers are encouraged to use other public transit transbay service such as ferry or AC Transit. For more information, please check www.511.org.

SFMTA will provide free service to customers who board on Muni buses at the Transbay Terminal and on Beale and Market streets on the following routes:

7 Haight/Noriega

38 Geary

5 Fulton

There will be another shutdown during the Labor Day weekend, September 5 through 7.

UPDATE: Sunset Tunnel Re-railing Project

There will be NO construction work on the Sunset Tunnel project this weekend. The next weekend construction is tentatively scheduled for August 14. N Judah Line service will continue to operate on its regular weekend schedule.

The Sunset Tunnel Trackway Improvement Project includes track and infrastructure replacements inside the Sunset Tunnel, located between Cole Valley and Duboce Triangle, Transit Signal Priority upgrades for nine intersections along the N Judah Line and construction of two accessible platforms at Judah Street and 28th Avenue.

These multiple system upgrades to the N Judah Metro Line will make transit safer and more reliable. Seismic upgrades to Sunset Tunnel are important part of the safety enhancement project. It will involve structural retrofit of the tunnel portal retaining walls and their foundations.

In order to maximize construction opportunities, the SFMTA has integrated multiple construction components under the Sunset Tunnel project in order to minimize the inconveniences for both N Judah riders and the community around the construction area:

The Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system upgrades are taking place at nine intersections sequentially along the N Judah Line. The TSP system will use technology to reduce dwelling time at traffic signals for Muni light rail vehicles by holding green lights longer.

The construction of two new wheelchair accessible platforms on Judah and 28th Avenue which includes longer boarding islands and in compliant of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) curb ramps will make Muni Metro system safer and easier to use for all customers. Construction of the new platforms was successfully completed in late March. The eastbound and westbound stops are now being served by N Judah trains.

REMINDER: Folsom Street Off-Ramp Realignment Project

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) will continue re-construction of the Folsom Street off-ramp from westbound Interstate 80 to Fremont Street. This off-ramp configuration will facilitate a better gateway that leads into a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood.

Installation of a new traffic signal at the off-ramp intersection will allow for a newly constructed continuous sidewalk and bike lanes on the east side of Fremont Street. This construction work is anticipated to complete in July 2015.

During construction, the 25 Treasure Island Muni route will be affected during all hours of service.

Crews from the Public Utilities Commission and San Francisco Public Works will continue the installation work of a new sewer main pipeline on Spear Street between Market and Mission streets. This construction project is anticipated to last until September 2015.

Construction work will continue to take place at the intersection of Spear and Mission streets. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

During the construction hours, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.:

No street parking will be allowed

Sidewalk will remain open for pedestrian traffic

Local access will be allowed

With an exception of Muni buses, the intersection of Spear and Mission streets will be close to all other traffic

During the closure, there may be brief delays on the following Muni lines and routes:

Going to the East Bay this weekend? Don’t try to take BART there. In case you missed all the posted signs at BART stations (and here), BART is closing transay train service this weekend to repair tracks near the Transbay tube, so plan on taking AC Transit or the ferry if you must get out of the city. The West Oakland station will be closed and trains will not run between West Oakland and Embarcadero.

From BART.gov:

BART will offer lifeline bus service between 19th Street in Oakland and the Temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco, but the buses are intended only for those who have no other options. The buses will carry customers from 19th Street Station in Oakland to the Temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco (a 2 block walk to the Embarcadero Station) or from there back to the East Bay. There will be no additional charge for the bus. The bus bridge will cause 1 to 2 hour delays for some customers.

Accommodations will be available for people with disabilities.

There will be some shuttle buses from West Oakland Station, which will be closed, to the 19th Street Station for West Oakland area residents only. These shuttles will pick up and drop off during BART operating hours and will be on 15 minute headways, departing both sides (West Oakland and 19th Street) at quarter hours. No fares will be collected on this neighborhood shuttle for West Oakland residents. We are not able to keep West Oakland Station open during this work because we can not easily turn trains around from that station. With only two tracks, there would be very significant delays in the East Bay if we attempted to run trains through West Oakland during the work.

Service will resume August 3. BART plans another closure to repair the tracks over Labor Day weekend.

Peter Hartlaub, Muni Diaries Live veteran and Chronicle writer, sends us the harrowing 1913 tale of a runaway streetcar, a “heavy motor truck,” and a bread wagon. No humans died, though two were injured. And the bread wagon’s horse became the first Muni fatality (that we know of). From SFGate:

“A runaway streetcar careening down three city blocks. A wagon full of bread that is obliterated into splinters and croutons. Terrified passengers, and a new driver in total control despite his massive head wound.”

Whoa! My favorite part might be that the “motorman” for Municipal Railway lived in a hotel.

Check out the post on SFGate for more exciting details. #cantmakethisup

Allison DeBona is a dancer and first soloist with Ballet West. When serendipity put her together in the same Muni Metro with another dancer, of course they spontaneously put together a dance photoshoot on the bus! From Allison:

“When a nice (random) lady decides to direct you in a dance photo shoot on [sic] the Muni. Come to find out she was a graduate of SFB school in the 80s. When offered a job there, she decided getting an educating was more important than dancing professionally and went to college. Random and awesome.”

You gotta love it when things like this happens on Muni, like receiving surprise gift from a passenger or getting some wise life advice from someone who’s been there. Just the other day, I met a woman who was on her way to record a hip-hop documentary. What’s your random run-in with awesomeness on Muni? Our inbox awaits your tales.

Here’s a photo that makes you wish that you were young again, at that age when you didn’t care about the number of reasons why riding the outside of the J could be kind of dangerous, and you never worried about knee problems because you are going to live forever.

So this is how you skateboard uphill in San Francisco. This guy nonchalantly catches a ride from the 24-Divisadero, to what I can only imagine was the awe and surprise from the line outside of Brenda’s Meat and Three. Thanks to Wenyan Chen for this Instagram video.